The Issue: Report Spells More Economic Woe Ahead For Florida.

November 20, 2009

Floridians pained by the recession don't need another report on the state's troubled economy to tell them how tough things are.

Eleven percent already know it because they can't find work. Hundreds of thousands know it because they can't keep up with the rent or mortgage on their homes. And 2.3 million Floridians know it because they're pulling food stamps from their pocketbooks.

But when the widely respected Pew Center on the States issues a report that lumps the Sunshine State with economic disasters like California and Michigan - when it warns Floridians their fortunes will worsen before they improve because of their systemically vulnerable state and local economies - residents should expect those setting policy to tell them how they'd strive to improve Florida's prospects.

Certainly, it's the very least they should expect of those now running for key elective positions around the state - for U.S. senator, for example, and for governor, Cabinet offices, legislative and municipal offices.

But little's being said. That quickly needs to change.

Florida's economic growth dropped from second place in 2005 to 48(+t)(+h) among states in 2008 - hardly a surprise to fiscal analysts, given that the construction and real-estate industries comprise 24 percent of the state's economy. But that and imploding real-estate values, sales-tax revenues and tourist dollars have made state budget deficits soar. To close them, lawmakers have raided trust funds for children's health, and cut education and social services funding.

The Pew report also noted Florida's slide in population growth. It went from fourth to 30(+t)(+h) in three years. The phenomenon worries local officials who rely on new residents for revenue that pays for services.

But the recession also presents them with the chance to weigh whether unbridled growth is worth the strain it places on our roads, our resources and our quality of life. It's something the candidates for elected office need to address - starting now.

The economy is shaping up as the central issue of the 2010 season. Maybe candidates should spend a little less time fundraising, and more time speaking up.